The present invention relates to post-foaming shave gel compositions that contain a polyglyceryl fatty ester surfactant.
Currently, a widely used form of shaving preparation is the type referred to as a post-foaming shave gel. These post-foaming shave gels are now well-known and have been described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,995,521 (Bluard), U.S. Pat. No. 3,541,581 (Monson), U.S. Pat. No. 4,405,489 (Sisbarro), U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,111 (Su), U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,503 (Anderson), U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,495 (Patterson), U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,643 (Osipow), U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,556 (Barnet), U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,211 (George), U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,859 (Hartmann) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,858,343 (Szymczak). Such compositions generally take the form of an oil-in-water emulsion in which the post-foaming agent, generally a volatile (i.e., low boiling point) aliphatic hydrocarbon, is solubilized in the oil phase, and the water phase comprises a water-dispersible soap or interrupted soap component. The product is generally packaged in an aerosol container with a barrier, such as a piston or collapsible bag, to separate the post-foaming gel from the propellant required for expulsion of the product. The product is dispensed as a clear, translucent or opaque gel that is substantially free from foaming until it is spread over the skin, at which time it produces a foam lather generated by the volatilization of the volatile hydrocarbon foaming agent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,874 (Gabby) discloses a soap-free aerosol shaving cream containing a polyglycerol fatty ester (e.g., triglycerol monostearate, decaglycerol distearate) and a water insoluble pulverulent bodying agent such as dextran, cellulose, talc, silica, sodium silicoaluminate and clay. However, such a product is not a shave gel and would not have good application aesthetics.
It would be highly desirable to provide a post-foaming shave gel composition that has excellent lubricity and emolliency without drying or irritating the skin, and without sacrificing any of the performance characteristics of conventional shave gels.